WHAT’S GROWIN’ ON

Brazoria County Master Gardener Association

Contents

Soil, Part 1 1

November Job Jar 3

Book Review 3

Inquiring Gardener 4

Fertilizers 6

Plants of the Month 7

Prez Sez 8

COMING UP

FREE November Seminar

Wed, 11/04/09

12:05 pm—12:50 pm,

Lake Jackson Public Library

―Winterize Veggie Gardens‖

BCMGA BOARD MEETING

Tues, 11/10/09

5:30 pm AgriLIFE Office

All members welcome!

BCMGA MEETING Tues, 11/10/09

6:30 pm AgriLIFE Office

FREE December Seminar

Wed, 11/04/09

10:00 am—11:30 am,

Lake Jackson Public Library

―Holiday Plants‖

NOVEMBER 2009

the “dirt” on soil, part 1

You walk on it, garden and farm it,

grow lawns on it, build on it, concrete

over it, dig it up, sweep it up, use it up.

But do you think about it, worry about

it, cherish it? If you don‘t, better

start now! 99.7% of all consumed

calories comes from the land.

The importance of fertile, healthy soil

is finally getting equal billing with

clean air and water.

National Geographic magazine high-

lighted soil in its ―The Good Earth‖

article in the September, 2008 issue.

The Smithsonian Institution‘s Museum

of Natural History mounted the ―Dig

It! The Secrets of Soils‖ exhibit that

will travel throughout the country

after its run in D.C.

Texas A&M instituted the EarthKind®

program, now being replicated in other

parts of the country, to foster garden

practices that result in less inputs

(irrigation, fertilizer, pesticides, her-

bicides) to achieve both healthier soil

and a productive lawn or garden.

What is soil? Is it dirt?

You might use either term, but dirt is

inert… soil is alive. Dirt is what you

sweep up in the house. When a soil‘s

been used up, degraded, abused,

―killed‖, it‘s just dirt. Nothing will

grow in it.

Chemicals & Critters

How can soil be alive? Well, it‘s the

combination of complex chemical and

biological processes. Just imagine

taking a census of the critters found

in soil. Besides the big guys easily

seen, like earthworms and grubs and

beetles, there are microbes — bacte-

ria, fungi, nematodes, protozoa, mites

and viruses — to the tune of about

7,000,000,000 in just one heaping

tablespoon of healthy soil. They all

have jobs to do, even though they‘re

just living their lives: eating organic

matter; excreting nutrients and hor-

mones; assisting plants in nutrient

uptake; mediating disputes between

chemicals; changing the structure of

the soil; dying.

While the soil microbes are doing

their work, the chemical elements in

the soil, with their positive and nega-

tive charges, are moving about, com-

bining with some elements, breaking

apart the bonds of others, being

slurped up and exuded by plants as

nutrients, expelled as waste by mi-

crobes.

Now add the major macro element:

the plants that intake and release

carbohydrates and chemical elements,

(Continued on page 2)

4’

10’

―The nation that destroys its soil,

destroys itself.‖ Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1937

Jim Richardson shot this amazing photo of Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans)

in Kansas for the National Geographic article mentioned above. Indiangrass

occurs from the Rocky Mountains east to the Atlantic, and from Florida to the

Hudson Bay in Canada. Yep, it‘s in Brazoria County, but don‘t expect 10‘ roots.

The soil‘s different, not to mention the water table.

―We might say that the earth has

the spirit of growth;

that its flesh is the soil.‖

Leonardo da Vinci, 1500‘s

Page 2 WHAT ’S GROWIN ’ O N

The “dirt” on soil (Continued from Page 1)

put down roots, set up symbiotic relationships

with microbes, and offer themselves as food

when their leaves drop or the plants die.

The Birth of Soil

All soil starts out as rocks, whether they

were spewed out of volcanoes, built up by the

death of billions of sea creatures, or sub-

jected to heat and pressure.

As the rock is worked on by lichen, pulverized

by glaciers, tumbled by water, weathered by

sun and air, and blown about, miniscule crumbs

of rock get thrown together. They build up

over the bedrock. This subsoil, or proto-soil,

contains minerals but not in a usable form

until they‘re changed.

“Growing” Topsoil

If conditions are right, enter those microbes

with plants following. It‘s the living commu-

nity that‘s called ―topsoil‖, a very happening

place, where organic and mineral new is added

to the old, mixed up, and aerated. It‘s a hap-

pening place, but it‘s not happening fast. It

averages 500 years for nature to replace 1”

of topsoil. The depth of the topsoil, from a

few inches to several feet, depends on cli-

mate, rainfall, topography, type of bedrock,

age, disturbances, and native vegetation.

Soil Gets Around

Of course we think of soil as being stuck in

one place. Your soil doesn‘t get up and move

to your neighbor‘s backyard. Or does it?

Blown by wind, moved by glaciers, carried by

water, topsoil should have a passport. We in

Brazoria County can thank folks to our north-

west for a lot of our present day soil. We‘re

in an active area. Gulf waters advanced and

receded over the millennia. Huge rivers car-

ried glacial melt and soil toward the Gulf.

Flood after flood built up, or took away, dif-

ferent layers, some sandy, some silty, some

gravel, and a whole lot of clay.

The recommendation to always keep the soil

covered by mulch or plant material is just

because topsoil moves so easily. 30% of the

world’s fertile land has been lost to erosion

in the last 40 years.

Not All Soils are Created Equal

So what constitutes a fertile soil? The an-

swer depends on who is being asked the ques-

tion. A naturalist hiking the Brazoria Wildlife

refuge might say that the refuge is amply

fertile to sustain the plant and animal life

that exists there. The same could be said of

the Arizona desert, the Okefenokee swamp

or the windward side of Mt. Whitney. The

plant life in these places has adapted to the

soil and climate; it cycles round and round

from living matter to dead matter to living

matter. It‘s called Ecosystem Integrity and

refers to the ability of a system to sustain

itself in a healthy, balanced state.

At odds with the definition above, a fertile

soil is often thought of as one capable of pro-

ducing a maximum yield of one of the 15 plant

species that are the mainstays of human sus-

tenance. Soils that are too dry, too wet, too

acidic, too cold or too hot must either be

manipulated or left to their natural state.

Harvest prevents these farming systems from

completing a natural cycle, and sustainability

and balance are nonexistent.

Nevertheless, we do have to eat. And with

increasing population pressure and vanishing

cropland, the necessity is for use of practices

that prevent further losses.

Gardener’s Integrity

As gardeners, we manage mini ecosystems and

gauge a soil‘s fertility by what we are able to

grow. We are faced with soils that have al-

ready been disturbed—cleared, moved, re-

moved, compacted and planted with non-

native grass. Much can be done to restore or

improve soil health and a little ―groundwork‖

can go a long way to creating a happy garden-

ing experience. So how can we contribute to

the integrity of our little managed ecosys-

tems? What are the soil problems and gar-

dening mistakes particular to our area?

The Nature of the Soil We Have

Bedrock Brazoria County is underlain by sedi-

mentary rock — all of it marine in origin. Lay-

ers of sandstone, limestone, gravel and clay

are often concreted together by calcium car-

bonate. Calcium carbonate is the chief com-

ponent of marine shelled critters. It‘s also

the active ingredient in agricultural lime.

We‘ve got a lot of it which keeps the pH

higher than we might want [see page 5 for

more info on pH and limestone].

Recent Soils Within the last 12,000 years or

so, soil deposits came by rivers, chiefly the

Brazos (which is now a stream compared to its

volume after the last glaciers melted). The

potential nutrient load is actually high, espe-

cially the bottomlands, with one author stat-

ing that ―the Brazos bottom, for instance, is

one of the most fertile farming regions in the

world‖ (Deussen, 1914).

That #&*@! Gumbo Much of our soil

has typically slow drainage (its perme-

ability) because of the high amount of

clay and silt. The same author quaintly

mentions that the chief drawback of

this very fertile soil is its ―liability of

overflowing‖. We have an average yearly

rainfall of 50‖-55‖, twice that of the

upper Midwest‘s grain belt (which is also

clay-based). With an average slope of 1‘

per mile, all that rain isn‘t exactly rush-

ing to the Gulf. It‘s sitting in your gar-

den, maybe bubbling up some of that

calcium carbonate, very slowly percolat-

ing down through those clay particles

that can only be seen by an electron

microscope.

More problems with the Soil We Have

plus

The Nature of the Soil We Want

(and how to get there) next month

Healthy soil is the largest,

most integrated complex

corporation in the world.

And we can‘t live without it.

“To be a successful farmer one must first know

the nature of the soil.”

Xenophon, Oeconomicus, 400 B.C.

“All clays are pretty well unworkable with ordinary implements. For the melted toffee consistency of winter, you might prefer a large soup-ladle; for light work-ing over summer, a hammer and cold chisel. Is the soil always too wet or too dry? No, there's a period - usually a day or two in May - when you can actually use a fork.” John Lucas, Backs to the Garden Wall

“Given only the health of the soil, nothing that dies is dead for very long.”

Wendell Berry, The Unsettling of America, 1977

Page 3 WHAT ’S GROWIN ’ O N

november job jar—what should we do this month?

Flower gardens: All of our experts men-

tioned that they will continue to clear out

weeds this month. Mulch will get attention,

too; either fresh mulch will be brought in or

the present mulch will be fluffed up. This will

help protect plants from whatever awaits

them this winter. In your garden, be sure to

cut down and clean out tops as plants die back.

Clearing away all that dead ginger and canna

foliage can go a long way toward reducing

insect pests next year.

Now is the time to plant bulbs for spring – see

the October newsletter for ideas on that.

And you can sow seeds for more early spring

color. Larkspur can be sown directly to the

beds, as can sweet peas. Remember that lark-

spur is poisonous, and its young foliage looks a

little like parsley and other edibles; so, keep

it out of the veggie garden.

Get the rest of those cool weather color

transplants into the ground. Nights should

finally be cool enough so that even the least

heat-tolerant bedding plants, such as pansies

and violas, can be happy.

The problem is that most of the cool season

color started appearing in the garden centers

back in early September. Check out bedding

material before you buy. Annuals that have

been suffering through the heat for over a

month in those tiny 6-cell packs are likely to

be really, really root bound. The roots have

been circling around and around, and the tops

of the plants may be very stressed. Choose

transplants that are fresh and green. Pull one

out – if the root ball mostly root with very

little dirt look for something better.

Sometimes, it‘s best to buy 3 plants in a big-

ger pot, rather than plants in 6-packs. You

can divide them with a knife or your fingers

before planting, and they probably will turn

out better than the tired, stressed plants

from the packs. If 6-packs are the only

choice, and if you can at least find some that

seem to be actively growing, at least tease

apart the roots before putting them into

their holes. Also, it‘s usually best to choose

transplants that don‘t have lots of flowers –

once they‘re happy the flowers will come, but

if the plant has been blooming in poor condi-

tions, it may never bloom again.

Herbs: Make the most of your basil now –

before cold weather takes it. We‘re getting

closer to the time when frost is possible.

We‘ve had mild winters of late, but we never

know when our luck will run out. Just a little

bit of frost will turn your basil black and use-

less, so make pesto now. (Freeze it in ice cube

trays and you can have some to flavor food all

winter long.)

You might want to plant some parsley. Parsley

likes cool weather, and the next six months

will give it ample time to grow a healthy root

system before hot weather stresses it out.

It might be a good time to put in some new

thymes and rosemary, as well.

Veggies: Debbie Soderman says we should

keep planting those leafy vegetables. If you

sow a little bit every two weeks, you should

have a good supply right into warm weather.

If you‘re running out of garden space, tuck

some lettuce in among the ornamentals, and

pot up some pak choi for the patio. Lettuces

generally need 40 to 60 days from sowing to

harvest, and pak choi is ready in about the

same time. The cole crops take longer, but

some of them, like the black Tuscan kale, look

dramatic enough to add a real punch to your

decorative beds, even if you never eat it.

Propagation: Barbara Brown says that this is

the time for taking rose cuttings. In fact, it‘s

the time for semi-hard wood cuttings of all

sorts of shrubs, for instance, hibiscus. If the

terms ―semi-hardwood‖ and ―cuttings‖ don‘t

tell you much, you need to come to a work day

and track down Bebe and the propagating

crew and find out more.

If you are wanting a big new supply of hardy

perennials, such as salvias and rudbeckias, now

is when you should sow the seed in outdoor

beds. The seeds will germinate and start to

grow in their own time, and by spring you will

have a crop of young plants to spread around

your garden. Use collected seed or store-

bought; be sure to label where you sow, so

that early spring weed control doesn‘t wipe

out the results.

Orchard: Dan Sebesta says the thing to do in

your home orchard in November is to pick the

fruit! For orchard newbies, that may be eas-

ier said than done. When to pick? For Barb

Bruyere, the harvest starts in September,

with satsumas that still look green. She

starts sampling as soon as the green fruits

get a little ―squishy‖ – her scientific term.

She says that some years her satsumas never

get orange, because she eats them all first.

On the other hand, Carol Farmer likes her

fruit sweet; she waits until the satsumas have

turned mostly orange before picking. Carol

picks her lemons a few at a time once they‘re

yellow. Barb and Carol agree that citrus

fruits store better on the tree (and will keep

quite a long time there), so pick just what you

need.

If you‘re growing persimmons, Carol suggests

that you pick them before they‘re ripe, al-

though it‘s probably too late for that advice

this year. She had a bumper crop ripening

nicely, until the raccoons took the whole lot.

Next year she plans to pick persimmons early.

Now read this

Teaming with Microbes. Lowenfels, Jeff & Lewis, Wayne. Timber Press: Portland. 2006, 196 pp, $24.95

Subtitled A Gardener‘s Guide to the Soil Food Web, the authors split

the book into two parts: the science of the soil food web and what

each of the microbes does, and then the actions that a grower can

take to build up a healthy soil.

If your previous readings in soil science have been unbearably ponder-

ous, you‘re in for a pleasant read. The hard science is there, complete

with references and bibliography, but in layman‘s terms complete with

stunning photographs, most taken with an electron microscope. It‘s

fascinating to learn of a whole unseen world of conquest, mutual-aid

pacts and interactions.

After gaining an appreciation of the soil food web‘s science, you can

learn how to apply the science to your gardening. The second part

covers how to recognize your particular ―web‖; composting (a differ-

ent method than usually is used); compost teas; mulching; using soil

web principles on lawns, ornamentals, and veggies; calendar; and, soil

web rules.

Working off the basic premise that ―no one ever fertilized an old-

growth forest‖, Teaming with Microbes is an unabashedly organic

treatise, backed by hard science. Newbie gardener or old green

thumb, you‘ll find new info and an appreciation for the ―underground‖.

Page 4 WHAT ’S GROWIN ’ O N

Ann MCLain, The inquiring gardener: get a soil test

Do you know how much fertilizer to use?

The short answer is right there at the top of

this column – GET A SOIL TEST! Gardeners

spend a lot of money on this fancy fertilizer

and that all-purpose product, and often it is

money wasted. How can you fix a problem if

you don‘t know what the problem is?

Ordering a soil test does cost money, but if it

tells you that you don‘t need fertilizer at all,

it can save money, too. You can buy soil test

kits at the garden centers, but if you want

accurate results, you‘re better off sending a

sample to the soils lab.

The process is actually easier than reading

the instructions. By following the instruc-

tions, you‘ll have a reliable result (and won‘t

waste your $$$).

The Sample Bag and Form

Your first step might be to go to the Exten-

sion office and pick up a sample bag and the

order form and instructions. Or, you could go

to the soil lab‘s website (http://

soiltesting.tamu.edu) and print out the paper-

work for yourself. In either case, be sure to

get the ―Urban and Homeowner‖ form – the

agricultural form asks some questions you

might have trouble with. If you choose to

print out your own forms, you will have to

provide your own sample bag, in the shape of a

quart size zip-top plastic bag. I‘m partial to

the official bag, myself, because it sternly

tells the user: ―DO NOT put check in the soil

bag‖. This gives us a peek into the little ag-

gravations of daily life in the soil lab.

Getting Started

Having read the instruction sheet, you can

proceed to gathering your sample, or samples.

The recommendation is that you not com-

bine samples from different areas that

might be different in soil type or use. You

would recognize soil differences by the slope

(here in Brazoria County, we mostly don‘t have

any slope, but you might), or by texture and

color, or by water drainage or lack thereof.

Soil in those areas may very well have differ-

ent chemistry to match those physical differ-

ences, and that would confuse your analysis.

Different use would be one area for a veggie

garden and another devoted to tropicals.

Collecting the Test Sub-Samples

The basic idea is to gather a little soil from 8

to 10 spots across the area you want to know

about. Take a trowel or small shovel and dig a

little hole about 6‖ deep. If the weather has

been dry, this will be the hardest part of the

whole thing. (If the weather has been very

wet, it may be no picnic, either.) Collect the

dirt from the hole into a clean, plastic bucket.

Repeat at random spots, putting all the soil in

the same bucket.

Aggregating the Samples

Now you will ―aggregate‖ the sample. This can

be a challenge, too. When I collected a soil

sample a few years ago, it was very dry, and

the sub-samples came up like so many broken

bricks. This doesn‘t mix well, and it doesn‘t

fit in that little sample bag too well, either.

Pick out all the visible roots and plant bits,

and mix the soil together, crumbling it up if

needed and/or possible. Ten shovels worth of

soil is probably going to be more than the two

cups you are asked to send, so it is important

to mix it all thoroughly, so that the sample

represents the whole.

The soil you have collected has to be dry

before it‘s closed in the bag and shipped. If

the sample sits wet during shipment and while

waiting for its turn in the lab, the nitrogen

values may not be accurate. Do not dry the

sample in the oven, although this does sound

like the easy way; not only does it stink but it

can mess up the analysis, too. Spread it out

on a clean surface in the shade or garage.

Preparing for Shipment

Finally, you can load about 2 cups of soil into a

sample bag and send it off. But wait, first you

need to label the sample bag with an identifi-

cation number or code, using a permanent

marker. This is so that in case you are send-

ing several distinct samples, or in case your

request form blows off the lab table, your

sample can be firmly connected to the form.

(Remember, do not put the form inside the

sample bag either.) You can use a number, or

your initials, or you can use the name of your

favorite Star Wars character, if you feel so

inclined. (Think how that would liven up the

daily routine in the soil lab.)

The request form asks for your name and

address and all that good stuff. It wants to

know that ID code. You can send in three

different samples with one form, and those

ID codes will keep them straight. For each

sample, the form also asks you to estimate

the size of the area from which you sampled.

It asks when you fertilized last, and what you

used. It also wants to know what you are

growing in that area. There isn‘t a code for

―Perennials‖ or for ―Tropicals‖; ―Shrubs and

Ornamentals‖ will probably cover it, or you can

try entering more than one code. It worked

for me a few years ago.

Choosing the Analysis Type

You can choose how much analysis you want to

have done. The basic service (for $10) will

give information about those three nutrients

featured on the fertilizer bags: nitrate (N),

phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). This also

gets you pH (how acid or alkaline the soil is),

calcium, magnesium, sodium, sulfur, and con-

ductivity. For more money you can also get an

analysis of micronutrients, and of organic

matter. Fill out the form, and write your

check and pack the whole thing into whatever

works. The information sheet suggests that a

padded envelope is good enough.

Understanding the Results

In a few weeks you will receive a printed soil

analysis. The report lists all the factors you

ordered, one per line. It gives the laboratory

value, and shows a bar graph for each. The

bars are printed across a field marked with

descriptors from ―slight‖ to ―excessive‖. The

line between ―medium‖ and ―high‖ is labeled

CL, which stands for Critical Level. At that

point and above, no additional nutrient should

be added to the soil. (This indicator doesn‘t

apply to nitrogen, which fluctuates so much.

The value may be over the line, and additions

may still be suggested.) Over at the side of

the page are fertilizer recommendations.

This is the amount that you should add to

bring your soil just up to the critical level. At

the bottom of the sheet you will find more

detailed recommendations for fertilizing your

soil, considering the use you‘re putting it to.

Real Life Examples

Debbie Soderman and Ray Michalik and I sat

down with several soil reports to see how they

came out. The gardens sampled were on dif-

ferent soil types, and were being used for

different purposes.

Report A was for a lawn. It had not been

fertilized for years. It was not a great sur-

prise that the nitrogen value was reported at

zero, although that could have been due to

sample collection problems. Nitrogen is very

soluble, and leaches through the soil very

easily. In our warm and rainy climate, if it

isn‘t replaced regularly, the value will be very

low. It will also be low if there has been high

demand, as from rapidly growing plants. For

this lawn area, the report recommended addi-

tion of nitrate.

Page 5 WHAT ’S GROWIN ’ O N

Ann MCLain, The inquiring gardener: get a soil test

Nitrogen levels were also in the very low range

in Report B. This sample came from an unfertil-

ized lawn that was being redesigned for shrub

and ornamental beds. In this garden, phospho-

rus was in the high range, but not up to the

critical level. The fertilizer recommendation

here was for some nitrogen and a small amount

of phosphorus. All other nutrients were over

the critical line. The pH was higher than the

other two reports at 7.8 (the average for Bra-

zoria County).

Report C was for a vegetable garden. In this

garden, potassium (K) was in the high range, but

not quite to the critical line, so reaching that

maximum would require addition of a small

amount of potassium. The other nutrients were

over the critical line.

Although there was plenty of nitrogen in this

sample, because it was for a vegetable garden,

full of rapidly growing things, the overall fertil-

izer recommendation was to add nitrogen every

4-6 weeks, if needed. Phosphorus (P) levels in

this sample were way up into the very high

range. The report recommended that no phos-

phorus be used in this garden for the next five

years. Too much is often as bad as not enough.

So what did we learn from all this?

One thing that pops out is that the so-called all

purpose fertilizers we so often buy, say 13-13-

13, aren‘t the right thing for everyone. We need

nitrogen for our growing things, but we seldom

need more than a trace amount of phosphorus or

potassium. Both of those elements tend to ad-

here to clay particles, which we have a lot of, so

they don‘t leach through our soils and disappear

as quickly as nitrogen does. If we keep pouring

on the 13-13-13 to give growing plants enough

nitrogen, we could seriously overdose on the

phosphorus (P) and potassium (K).

Bottom line?

A soil test costs money, but it can save money,

too, when you buy just the fertilizer you need.

And, those glossy ads and fancy packages in the

garden centers aren‘t talking about YOUR gar-

den. Be smart, know what your soil really wants.

Besides N-P-K, What Else Does This Analysis Cover?

In general, a soil test gives the potential availability of the listed specific nutrients.

Complex factors interact at any given point in time to change the availability of these nutri-

ents. Besides nutrients, the soil analysis adds a few other factors to best manage our soil.

pH Short answer — a measurement of how acid or alkaline the soil is. On a scale of 0-14, a

pH below 7.0 is considered acid and above 7.0 alkaline. This is an important measurement

because many plant nutrients are most readily available at about 6.5. Brazoria County‘s

average is 7.8, moderately alkaline. The pH around house slab foundations is often even

higher because lime (alkaline) leaches out of concrete for a number of years. Quite a few

ornamentals and veggies perform best at a lower pH than our average. Permanently lowering

a native soil‘s pH is impossible (without a cataclysmic geologic event), but various products

can temporarily get you to that magic 6.5 pH or even lower. Veggie gardeners will find it

easier as they can keep amending between plantings. New beds can be treated with elemen-

tal sulfur dug in at least 6‖. Aluminum sulfate is faster acting than elemental sulfur, but

improper application causes death-by-aluminum to plants. Top dressing with cottonseed

meal or compost will help keep the pH a bit lower. Ammonium sulfate and sulfur-coated urea

are the typical acidifying ingredients in water soluble ―acid‖ fertilizers. Unless the pH low-

ering amendment is regularly applied as indicated on labels, the soil pH gradually creeps

back up. Garden with plants adapted to your pH, build raised beds with completely differ-

ent soil, or group and treat ―acid-loving‖ plants together.

Limestone Requirement Limestone RAISES the pH, making it more alkaline. Don‘t ever add

it unless a soil test specifically requires it.

Conductivity The flow rate of the electrical charges of soil nutrients, thus a predictor of

how readily available nutrients are in a soil solution. Measured in the alien (to non-

engineers) units ―Mho/cm‖ or ―S/cm‖, a good reading would generally be between 200 and

1200. So many variables affect this rating that the ideal number is site and time specific.

However, a rating lower than 200 indicates nutrient deficiency or reduced microbial action.

Above 1200 may show: waterlogged soil, excess fertilizer, very high pH, or high salinity. If

you want the science and variables about the complex interactions occurring with electrical

conductivity, check out http://tinyurl.com/EC-Soil.

Sodium NOT a nutrient. This is one where you want a low number — most plants aren‘t

sodium-tolerant and it ―binds‖ or displaces calcium in the soil. Don‘t confuse it with soil

salinity; they‘re not the same. High sodium is often associated with high alkalinity. Gypsum,

Epsom salts and elemental sulfur can reduce sodium.

The soil analysis given in Report B. Soil is not typical gumbo —

reddish brown, well-drained, silty clay.

What About the Soil Organic Matter Test?

Although a valued soil component, Southern soils

average 2%-3% organic matter. Those who add

lots of organic matter and compost know they

have higher organic matter rates without a test.

Auburn U suggests that SOM tests have little

short term value unless the grower uses herbi-

cides because high SOM degrades herbicide

action. For the rest of us, just keep on truckin‘

… compost.

Page 6 WHAT ’S GROWIN ’ O N

After the soil test

Fertilizer Application Conversions

Q: Your soil sample result recommends 2 lbs N (nitrogen) per 1000 sq. ft. of

garden. So how much fertilizer do you apply?

A: It depends on the N-P-K. For example, a 10-lb. bag of 21-0-0 (ammonium

sulfate) contains 21% or 2.1 lbs of N. In order to apply the recommended 2

pounds, it takes 100 ÷ 21 x 2 = 9.5 lbs. of N fertilizer for 1000 sq. ft.

Q: My soil test gives application rates of P2O5 and K2O instead of P and K.

How come?

A: Without getting too Dow about it, the answer goes way back to lab methods

used to get a good measure of P and K content by weight. If you check out a

bag of any commercial fertilizer, the P (phosphorus) and K (potassium) are

always shown as P2O5 and K2O. P2O5 is about 56% P and K2O is about 83% K.

A soil lab recommends 1½ lb. P2O5 per 1000 sq. ft. Your fertilizer is 0-60-0 or

60% P2O5. You will need to apply 100 ÷ 60 x 1½ = 2.5 lbs. fertilizer. If the lab

recommends 1½ lbs of P, you will need to apply 100 ÷ (60x.56) x 1½ = 4.5 lbs. of

P2O5 fertilizer.

Finally, the lab recommends ½ lb. K2O per 1000 sq. ft. and your fertilizer for-

mulation is 0-0-23. Your application rate is 100 ÷ 23 x ½ = 2.2 lb. fertilizer.

If the lab recommends ½ lb. K, your application rate is 100 ÷ (23x.83) x ½ = 2.6

lb. of K2O fertilizer.

The basic formula is 100 ÷ % of nutrient x recommended number of lbs.

The result is the number of pounds for 1000 sq. ft. Don‘t forget to adjust for

the area‘s size. Your area‘s sq. ft. ’ 1000 x recommended lb = your area‘s lbs.

Using the above N example for 120 sq. ft: 120/1000 = .12 x 2 = .24 lbs

You can also use the same formula to calculate organic fertilizers. Thanks to

Wayne McLaurin and Walter Reeves of the University of Georgia Cooperative

Extension Department for the extremely useful table found on the right.

Materials

N

P2O5

K2O

Relative Availability

Alfalfa Meal 3.0 1.0 2.0 Medium-Slow

Blood Meal 12.0 1.5 0.6 Medium-Rapid

Bone Meal (steamed) 0.7-4.0 11.0-34.0

0.0 Slow-Medium

Brewers Grain (wet) 0.9 0.5 0.1 Slow

Castor Pomace 5.0 1.8 1.0 Slow

Cocoa Shell Meal 2.5 1.0 2.5 Slow

Coffee Grounds (dry) 2.0 0.4 0.7 Slow

Colloidal Phosphate 0.0 18.0-24.0

0.0 Slow

Compost (not fortified) 1.5 1.0 1.5 Slow

Cotton Gin Trash 0.7 0.2 1.2 Slow

Cottonseed Meal (dry) 6.0 2.5 1.7 Slow-Medium

Eggshells 1.2 0.4 0.1 Slow

Feather 11.0-15.0 0.00.0 0.00.0 Slow

Fish Meal 10.0 4.0 0.0 Slow

Fish Emulsion 5.0 2.0 2.0 Medium-Rapid

Fish Scrap (dry) 3.5-12.0 1.0-12.0 0.8-1.6 Slow

Garbage Tankage (dry)

2.7 3.0 1.0 Very Slow

Granite Dust 0.0 0.0 6.0 Very Slow

Greensand 0.0 1.0-2.0 5.0 Slow

Guano (bat) 5.7 8.6 2.0 Medium

Guano (Peru) 12.5 11.2 2.4 Medium

Hoof/Horn Meal 12.0 2.0 0.0 Medium-Slow

Kelp2 0.9 0.5 1.0-4.0 Slow

Manure3 (fresh)

Cattle 0.25 0.15 0.25 Medium

Horse 0.3 0.15 0.5 Medium

Sheep 0.6 0.33 0.75 Medium

Swine 0.3 0.3 0.3 Medium

Duck 1.1 1.4 0.5

Poultry (75% water) 1.5 1.0 0.5 Medium-Rapid

Poultry (50% water) 2.0 2.0 1.0 Medium-Rapid

Poultry (30% water) 3.0 2.5 1.5 Medium-Rapid

Poultry (15% water) 6.0 4.0 3.0 Medium-Rapid

Manure3 (dry)

Cricket Manure 3.0 2.0 1.0 Medium Rapid

Goat 2.7 1.8 2.8 Medium

Dairy 0.7 0.3 0.6 Medium

Steer 2.0 0.5 1.9 Medium

Horse 0.7 0.3 0.5 Medium

Hog 1.0 0.7 0.8 Medium

Sheep 2.0 1.0 2.5 Medium

Rabbit 2.0 1.3 1.2 Medium

Marl 0.0 2.0 4.5 Very Slow

Mushroom Compost 0.7 0.9 0.6

Sulfate of Potash Magnesia

0.0 0.0 22.0 Rapid to Medium

Soybean Meal 6.7 1.6 2.3 Slow

Wood Ashes4 0.0 1.0-2.0 3.0-7.0 Rapid

Guide to the Mineral Nutrient Value of Organic Fertilizers

(Percent1)

1 Percentage of plant nutrients is highly variable; average % are listed. 2 Contains common salt, sodium carbonates, sodium and potassium sulfates. 3 Plant nutrients vary with amount of straw/bedding 4 Potash content depends on the tree species burned. Wood ashes are alkaline, containing approximately 32% CaO.

WHERE TO FIND ORGANIC FERTILIZERS

Most garden centers and even the big-box stores now carry little bags and

bottles of various organic amendments. Many are outrageously expensive.

First check the local feed stores before buying ―commercial‖ products. For

example, to get the 2 lbs of N/1000 sq. ft you need 28 lbs of 7-0-0 or 33 lbs

of 6-0-0. $2.10/lb gets you a commercial organic fertilizer (7-1-2) or you

could buy cottonseed meal (6-2.5-1.7) for only $.28/lb. at the feed store.

Compost is great and obviously cheapest if you make it yourself, but leaf com-

post is available (not cheap) in bags.

Composted cow, sheep, etc. manure is readily available and inexpensive, but

the bags have a high moisture content and low nutrient value. They‘re more

valuable for soil conditioning.

Mushroom compost (also called spent mushroom compost) is what‘s left after

growers harvest their crop. It can‘t be reused for mushrooms as they need a

sterile medium to start, but it‘s certainly okay for the garden as a soil condi-

tioner. It‘s available through a couple of local soil businesses.

Alfalfa pellets and cottonseed meal are favorites; both are ―dirt‖-cheap com-

pared to other products, have good nutrient values and are available in 50 lb

bags (about $12.75 and $13.95 respectively) at your local feed store.

Microbes and Microbe Containing Products probably aren‘t worth buying. If

you concentrate on building a healthy soil the microbes will come.

And, yes, there really is such a thing as cricket manure available commercially.

PLANTS OF THE MONTH

NATIVE PERENNIAL: Symphyotrichum oblongifolius (Aromatic Aster)

Autumn flowers This used to be Aster...looks like

an aster, flowers like an as-

ter...let‘s just call it an aster.

The native range is extensive,

growing from just east of the

Rocky Mountains right through to

the Atlantic Coast. The variable

colored flowers, in shades of

blue, bloom in Brazoria county in

October and November.

The species is somewhat upright

and sprawling, tending to lose

lower leaves during the summer.

If trimmed back early in the sum-

mer, the plant can be made more

compact.

Several cultivars are now of-

fered, primarily on-line:

‗October Skies‘, shown left, avail-

able through several on-line re-

tailers, was selected by Walters

Gardens for shorter (18‖), bushier

size and bluer flowers than the

typical species color

‗Raydon‘s Favorite‘, again available

on-line, pictured at right, is an

upright sprawling 3‘-4‘ plant with

medium blue-purple flowers

‗Dream of Beauty‘ (above), of-

fered by High County Gardens,

Size: 3‘ x 4‘ (some culti-

vars are smaller)

Shape: Loose sprawling

Light: Full to part sun

(flowers best in full sun)

Soil: Sandy to clay

Water: Dryish to moist

Flowers: 1‖+ typical aster

in shades of blue

Fertilize: Average-low

Propagation: stem cut-

tings, root cuttings, divi-

sion

Page 7 WHAT ’S GROWIN ’ O N

Size: 10‘ H x 8‘ W

(or larger)

Shape: Large, mounded, multi-

trunked

Foliage: Deciduous large coarse

bright green with hairy under-

sides

Light: Full sun

Water: Any soil as long as

moist; tolerates some wetness

and gumbo

Flowers: Huge (up to 5‖) double

camellia-like; white changing to

rose

Fertilize: Average—low

Propagation: Cuttings in spring

and summer

Make room

Although native to South China, this shrub takes

to our conditions like a native. It has been a popu-

lar passalong all across the south for many years.

The shrub is just plain big, and the deciduous foli-

age is nothing special, but when fall comes and it

starts to bloom, the Confederate rose has a lot of

bling. And it doesn‘t stop flowering until frost.

There are several varieties, but the one pictured

opens in the morning a pure white, then shifts to a

deep rose pink in the afternoon. When the weather is

cooler, flowers may last two days.

In colder climates, the Confederate rose may die back

in winter, but it is root hardy to at least Zone 7. In

some years, the leaves may be covered with white fly,

but not to worry – it will prosper anyway. It may be

bothered by cotton root rot when grown in alkaline soil

where cotton has been grown in the past.

Available: Plant sales, passalong.

Heirloom shrub: Hibiscus mutabilis (Confederate Rose)

has sugar pink flowers on a dense 12‖ H x

24‖ W plant. It‘s the pinkest of the culti-

vars available.

‗Fanny‘, 2‘x4‘, is a passalong that came

through several gardeners from a grand-

mother in South Carolina. The selection

has typical blue flowers in masses.

Species Available: local plant sales or

passalong.

Photos and text courtesy of

Ann McLain

Brazoria County Agri-Life Extension

21017 CR171

Angleton, TX 77515

Phone: 979.864.1558

Phone: 979.388.1558

Phone: 281.756.1558

BCMGA

Editor: Monica Krancevic

bcmga-newsletter@att.net

BCMGA Website:

http://grovesite.com/mg/bmg

Ed barrios, the prez, sez Thanks!

First I‘d like to thank the many Master Gardeners who brought food

or helped at the Precinct 2 appreciation BBQ on the 22nd of Octo-

ber! About 100 hundred people were there including the Gardeners. I

am proud that so many helped out for these guys that help us at the

gardens throughout the year.

Rain

Well looks like it could be a wet El Niño winter. We‘ve had several

Pacific fronts that have brought us much needed rain. At the County

airport they have gotten about 6.5 inches of rain this month. Other

parts of the area have gotten much more rain; in fact, as I write this,

there are flash flood warnings for our county and Brazos River flood

warnings. It could be a challenging fall and winter for gardening if

these fronts continue once or twice a week.

Sago Palms and Scale

If you have sago palms you need to look for scale infestations. I

checked few weeks ago and I had a heavy infestation on 2 sagos and

light infestation on my others. I‘m not sure if it‘s Asian Cycad Scale

or another kind. I have over a dozen sagos in my yard; I love the look

of them. I‘m cutting off all the bottom leaves and just leaving the top

row of leaves. I hate the look of just the one row of leaves, but this

way I can spray much more effectively because you have to spray the

tops and bottoms of the leaves. The scale can get so thick they make

some of the fronds look completely white.

If you don‘t take action, Asian Cycad Scale WILL KILL YOUR PLANT!

AgriLife Extension recommends carbaryl (Sevin) and products con-

taining acephate, pyrethrin and permethrin. Another article I read

recently said to combine these insecticides with Neem oil. I‘m going

to try and spray every week but the rain and high winds have pre-

vented me from keeping up with my routine.

Here is a link to Florida Palm and Cycad Society recommenda-

tions: http://www.plantapalm.com/centralfl/emergency_care.asp

The link to Texas AgriLIFE Extension recommendations is: http://

insects.tamu.edu/extension/publications/epubs/CAS_control_tips-

landscape4.pdf

Also, please check your neighborhood to see if any plants are in-

fected. Let your neighbors know what they should do. If you don‘t,

we could literally lose every sago palm in the county.